Demanding ST status, Gujjars plan stir

Gujjars of Rajasthan plan to stage protests in the Capital yet again from October 6, demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for their community in the state. Earlier this year, Gujjars held the entire Capital to ransom over the same issue.

Addressing a news conference here on Wednesday, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, MLA and patron of the All India Gurjar Sangharsh Samiti said, “We will protest, but would like to assure the people of the city that there would be no problem for essential supplies, and people would not be inconvenienced.”

Bidhuri said the community has sought no ST status in Delhi as “it was not needed”. In Rajasthan, he said, the plight of Gujjars has to be seen, to be believed. “They are a fit case for ST status,” he said.

As part of their protests, the Gujjars plan to stage a demonstration at the BJP’s headquarters on Ashoka Road and launch the “jail bharo” movement. Their ire is against the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in Rajasthan, which, they said, has launched a campaign of terror against members of the community.

The Gujjar leaders were critical of the Chopra Committee, constituted by the Rajasthan government for giving ST status to the community. They said the Chopra Committee had failed to give its report in three months.